A Small Destiny
by Loopstagirl
Summary: "How small you are, for such a great destiny." Arthur scowled, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "I'm taller than Lord Braxton's son and he is SIX!" A voice in the night causes a young prince to go exploring. He had no idea what he would find.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners.**

**One-shot for you because I couldn't get it out of my head. And you know how much I love writing them young!**

"_Arthur..."_

"Go 'way."

"_Arthur..."_

"M'sleepin'..."

"_Arthur..."_

Hearing his name being called for the third time, the five year old prince of Camelot sat bolt upright in his very large bed, staring about him with wide eyes. There was no one in his room, yet he was sure that the voice had been quite clear. Rubbing at his eyes with a clenched up fist, the young boy yawned. Deciding that it must have been a dream, he quickly lay back down again, wriggling into the covers and making to pull them over his head.

"_Arthur..."_

This time, the prince sat up so fast that his head spun. There was no denying that something was calling his name, but Arthur found that his heart was beating fast with the realisation that the voice was coming from inside of his own head. He knew that this was certainly _not_ something that he was going to be telling his father or even Gaius about.

"_Shh."_ He thought back, blushing slightly at the thought that someone would even be listening. "_S'bedtime, should be sleeping."_

"_Even a Once and Future King?"_

Now that had Arthur's attention.

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of his bed, the young prince frowned. No one had ever called him anything like that before. All the ways of being called a prince – some fond, some scathing - he had heard in his short years. But never before had anyone addressed him as a King, and Arthur couldn't deny the thrill that it sent through him.

"_That's Father. Shh."_

"_Come to me, Arthur."_ Arthur was moving before he knew what he was doing. Sliding off the bed, Arthur grabbed his small wooden sword, moving towards the door before he even thought about it properly. Only a five year old would be prepared to run around the castle in the dark because a voice in his head was telling him too. But there was something about the voice, something that made Arthur feel like he just _had_ to know who it belonged too and why it was talking to him when he should have been asleep. Using both hands to tug open the door, Arthur knew that was partly why he was going. He should have been in bed asleep – there was something of a grin on his face as he slipped out into the dim corridor, knowing that he was deliberately doing something he shouldn't.

Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but Arthur felt incredibly small as he moved around the corridors. The only light being offered was from flickering torches far above his head and now and again he could hear the clank of heavy boots as the guards went about their nightly patrol. He had no idea what time it was, only knew that it was late enough that even the King would be in bed. The prince had to stifle a giggle at that, automatically clutching his sword tighter. His father was in bed asleep whilst Arthur snuck around the castle searching for something unknown and potentially just that little bit dangerous. Now that was how a _true_prince acted. He would save the whole of Camelot from the voice in his head!

Nodding determinedly to himself, Arthur paused when he reached the end of a corridor. It was all very well and good deciding to seek out the voice, but it had fallen quiet and Arthur simply had no idea where he was supposed to be going. He knew that by turning left, he would end up at Gaius' rooms, and there would be no way the physician would let his adventure continue. So Arthur turned right.

He didn't know this part of the castle so well, and the small wooden sword almost cut into his hands from where he was holding onto it so tightly. He couldn't help but begin to realise that his feet were absolutely freezing as well. For a while, Arthur just walked, but finally couldn't hide the yawns any more. He was tired and cold, and now that he had decided to find the voice, it had gone quiet. Scowling, the five year old decided that enough was enough and that he was going back to bed.

"_Come to me, Arthur. You know the way, your heart will guide you."_ Instantly, the prince was back on alert, his mind whirling. That sounded like something Gaius would come out with, but Arthur was pretty certain that the Court Physician had not suddenly developed the ability to talk to Arthur in his head. But it was enough to rekindle his dying curiosity, and holding back another yawn, Arthur continued on his way. Not that it stopped him from being completely unnerved when he reached the next corner. Arthur didn't even pause, but automatically turned down a route he had never taken before, scrambling down a deep set of steps.

It was only when he reached the bottom of the steps did Arthur freeze. He _had_ been here before, only it had been with his father and numerous guards. He was by the dungeons, and the young prince instantly felt a shiver go up his spine that was nothing to do with his cold feet. He practically shrank into himself, swallowing hard and clutching his sword.

"_Who are you?"_ Unlike when he had been answering back before, Arthur sounded his age this time. Young, scared and vulnerable, standing at the edge of the dungeons with no idea why he was even here was beginning to take its toll slightly and Arthur trembled. Only to feel a small gust of wind twirl around him, almost comfortingly. It was warm and gentle, and Arthur found that he was turning around.

"_Turn around, my King, and come to me."_ The wind seemed to tug Arthur forward, and before he knew what he was doing, he found that he had broken into a run. There was a dark corridor that he had never noticed before, winding down into the depths of the castle. Running along the flat part, the prince skidded to a stop, swallowing hard at the steep staircase leading further down. It was even darker down there than the corridors that he had been travelling along so far and Arthur couldn't hide the fact that he was shaking. But there was a tugging sensation in his gut, something that was leading him down those stairs. Arthur tucked his sword under his arm in order to free up his hands and slowly began to climb down.

It took far longer than Arthur thought it would to navigate his way down the steps. They seem to go on for ages, and more than once he was forced to slide down a few because they were simply too steep for his small legs. Eventually though, he did manage to reach the bottom, both hands once more defensively back on his sword as he tentatively took a step forward.

For a long moment, his neck was craned back as he stared about him in awe. The cavern he was in was huge, Arthur was certain that he was going to be able to see all the way up to the stars and beyond as his head tilted up, mouth falling open in amazement. Why had no one ever told him that this was here? A low and deep chuckle brought his head snapping back forward again, and Arthur forgot to breathe.

For most five year olds, finding that there was a giant dragon perched just in front of them and watching their every movement closely would have been enough to send them running straight back to the safety of their beds. But Arthur didn't feel afraid. It wasn't anything to do with trying to be brave (it was a _dragon!)_, he just didn't feel like the beast was going to hurt him. The wind that had been guiding him down was stronger down here, and the prince finally began to feel a little warmth seeping back into him, making it feel like his nerves were tingling softly. There came a great rumbling noise from in front of him that caused Arthur to take a nervous step back before he realised that the dragon was laughing at him.

"How small you are, for such a great destiny." Arthur scowled, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

"I'm taller than Lord Braxton's son and he is _six!"_ He declared stubbornly, trying to fold his arms across his chest in the way that his father did when he was displeased, but realised that meant his sword wouldn't be any use. After a strange jerking movement, Arthur settled for simply glaring.

"Of course you are." The Dragon responded gently, immediately calming down the fiery young prince. Arthur smiled, not realising that he was being humoured.

"What's a destiny?" He asked innocently, sitting down on the edge of the ledge and letting his feet dangle off it. He made to lean forward to see if the cave was as deep as it was tall, but the Dragon growled warningly and he sat back. He didn't need to ask what that meant – it was the same sort of noise Gaius made when he was doing something wrong.

"Something that leads your way in the darkness and enables you to become who you are meant to be."

"Oh." Arthur blinked. He wasn't going to admit that he had no idea what any of that was supposed to mean. For his part, the dragon just winked a slow lazy eye in amusement. Never did Kilgarrah think the day would come when he would be having a civilised conversation with a Pendragon, let alone the Once and Future King. Arthur wasn't afraid of him, more like in awe. Maybe there was hope for Albion yet? Maybe the son would not follow in the father's footsteps after all?

"You are but one side of the coin."

"I don't have any money. Father does though, you should ask him if you want some. I don't know what you would spend it on, there aren't any shops down here and you're a bit big to climb the stairs..." This time, Kilgarrah couldn't stop his snort of amusement, even if it did have Arthur yelping as a jet of flame shot over his head. He thought that it would be beneficial to start influencing the prince when he was young, but perhaps he had overestimated humans. This boy was young even by their standards, and seemed to have no clue whatsoever that the Great Dragon – the very last dragon - was trying to give him some insight about what lay ahead in his future. Arthur sat quietly for a moment, before suddenly looking up.

"Who's the other?" Kilgarrah smiled gently. He knew that this boy was the Once and Future King, the one who would free magic-users and return the land to prosperity once more. But whilst Arthur had only childish notions in his head before, he was frowning up at the dragon now as if he didn't know himself where that question came from. Kilgarrah lowered his head until he was looking the young heir in the eye.

"You will know when you meet him, but that day is not yet ready to pass. It will be many years until you meet your destiny, Arthur Pendragon."

"It's a _he_then? Good, it would be horrid if it was a girl." Arthur's moment had come and gone. "And how do you know my name?"

"Everyone knows your name, my King." Kilgarrah said gently, seeing the way Arthur's eyes were beginning to drop. He wasn't yet sure whether this had been worth the trouble, Arthur seemed to have no understanding of the conversation that had just taken place. But at the same time, Kilgarrah was glad that he had done it. He had persuaded the prince to come investigating despite it being forbidden, and Arthur had done so. He had pushed aside the fear of the unknown and decided to seek out the answers for himself. If he could keep that attitude as he grew, there was hope for them all yet.

"Is that why whenever Father has any visitors, they know who I am?" Despite his words still sounding curious, Arthur couldn't hide the yawn that managed to slip through as well.

"Something like that, young one." Kilgarrah murmured, lowering his head until it was resting by Arthur. "Don't you think that it is time for you to return to your bed?"

"M'not sleepy!" Arthur protested. He didn't let Gaius tell him when to go to bed, he was not going to let a dragon tell him either!

"But destiny could be just around the corner."

"Oh. I guess I should go then?" Arthur leapt to his feet, but misjudged it. He hadn't realised how close to the edge he had been and his foot slipped. With a yell, the child fell forward, only to stop just as suddenly.

His eyes screwed up and tears sliding down his face, Arthur let out a shaky breath as he was gently pushed back into an upright position. Very carefully, he opened his eyes to see the dragon had moved forward.

"One cannot fulfil one's destiny if you fall off a ledge. You must be careful, my King." The prince nodded, his breath hitching as he struggled to control the tears after his fright. Kilgarrah blew gently down on the small child, filling him with warmth and strength that made Arthur square his shoulders. "Now go, child."

For the first time in his life, Arthur went without argument, leaving a chuckling dragon deep below the castle. There was indeed hope for them all.

MMM

"Gaius! Gaius, wake up, you have to wake up! Please, get up, come on! Gaius!" The old physician blearily opened his eyes as something collided with his side. It took a moment for him to adjust to the dim light, but the insistent tugging on his arm made him look in a certain direction. A small, blond child was pulling at him frantically, face flushed and eyes wide.

"Arthur, why aren't you in bed?"

"You have to come, now get up, quickly!" Gaius swung his legs over the edge of the bed, groaning at the fact the prince seemed so energetic. As the boy made to run off, the physician quickly caught Arthur by the wrist, tugging him back towards him. There was a wooden sword in one hand and Gaius almost whimpered at his bare feet as Arthur turned impatiently.

"Have you been crying, Arthur?"

"No. Well, yes, but that was only because I fell off the ledge, but the dragon saved me and told me destiny was coming. But it's going to be okay, because it is a boy, not a silly girl. And he wants some money, he only has one half of a coin and then he said some other stuff I didn't understand, but come on!"

Gaius stared at the excited child in front of him, trying to hold back a groan. He had just managed to keep up with the babble that had poured from Arthur's mouth, but picked up enough to know what had happened. Kilgarrah had sworn that he wouldn't touch Arthur! They had agreed he would stay out of the prince's life unless matters dictated otherwise. Gaius should have known that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation at meeting the young heir.

"Have you been running around the castle with bare feet?"

"Only to the dungeons. But don't be mad, I didn't really go in the dungeons, I went the other way..."

Gaius knew he had to put a stop to this now. If Uther found out that his son had met the Great Dragon, there would be hell to pay.

"Arthur, there is no other way."

"There _is_, now come on!" Arthur wriggled out of Gaius' hold and ran for the door, pausing only long enough to make sure the physician was following before darting out of it. Gaius cursed. Somehow, he had to make Arthur believe that none of this had happened, that it would just be some wild dream. Whilst he had concern flowing through him at the fact the prince was running around with bare feet, Gaius knew it might just work to his advantage.

But the last thing he wanted was for Kilgarrah to start turning Arthur against his father. The boy was so young and impressionable still, yet those who knew the prince knew that it hurt him when Uther wasn't interested in what he had been up too. Gaius was only so worried because he knew that Kilgarrah could possibly succeed.

Climbing out of the bed, the physician pulled on his own boots and hurried as fast as he could after the prince. Arthur was nowhere to be seen, yet Gaius knew precisely where he was heading. Quite frankly, he was amazed at how fast the boy could move when he wanted too, for he didn't catch up with Arthur until the prince had once again reached the top of the steps.

"Arthur, stop."

"No. Come down, Gaius, you have to come and see." Knowing that he was only going to press on Arthur's stubbornness even more if he refused, Gaius moved forward. Seeing the little boy struggling, he bent down and scooped Arthur up. The prince made as if he was going to protest, clearly believing that Gaius was going to carry him away. But the physician took a step towards the stairs and he relaxed, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and leaning his head on Gaius' shoulder, clearly tired despite his excitement.

"It's a big dragon, sitting just on that rock, Gaius, honest." The man didn't say anything, but just carried the prince down into the darkness. It came as no surprise when he saw that the place seemed empty. He knew what the dragon was like, knew that the beast was not going to make it that easy for Arthur. The child squirmed and Gaius put him down.

"Hello! I'm back! I brought my friend so he could understand you! Hello? Dragon? Hello?" Gaius inwardly sighed as Arthur's face fell, a frown taking the place of his previous smile as he moved closer.

"Where are you?" There was nothing but silence, and as Arthur took another step, Gaius moved forward and caught him around the chest, pulling him back from the edge.

"Come out!" Arthur yelled, the upset more than evident in his voice. "He was right here, Gaius, I swear!"

"Come away now, Sire." There was a firm note in Gaius' voice, one that Arthur knew too well. His adventure was coming to an end.

"No! He was here, Gaius, he really was, truly!" Arthur swallowed hard as Gaius bent down to his level. The physician knew the prince too well, knew that Arthur wasn't meeting his eyes because he was trying to hold back tears.

"I think you might have had a bit of a wild dream, Sire." Arthur bit his lip, the sword falling from his hand as he wiped the back of his arm across his eyes.

"But he was right here." The child whispered, not moving quick enough to escape the tears now running down his face. "I saw him, Gaius, I really did..."

"It's time for bed, Arthur." Gaius said firmly, once again picking up the small prince. It was late and Arthur was exhausted, this was not something that was going to be settled easily.

It was only when he had managed to get Arthur tucked into his bed and finally beginning to warm up did he remember the dratted sword. If he was going to persuade the prince to believe that this had all been nothing but a dream, he was going to have to go back down. He was going to have to face the dragon.

MMM

"That was cruel." Gaius was resting against the cave wall, Arthur's toy sword in his hand as he stared into the darkness. Just as it wasn't a surprise that the dragon hadn't been present when Arthur had dragged him down here, it was also no surprise that the beast was waiting for him this time. Kilgarrah inspected a claw, pointedly ignoring Gaius. Eventually, he spoke.

"It's not my fault the young Pendragon decided to come down here."

"Don't give me that. You called him, I know you did. Arthur knows he is not allowed down here."

"And yet he came." Gaius frowned, trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Is that why you called him? To see if he would go against what his father says?"

"If he can disobey now, there is hope for his destiny." Gaius suddenly felt a spark of anger begin to burn brightly. The dragon was talking as if Arthur was nothing more than a chess piece, to be moved on a whim by whoever controlled him. He knew that the control rested with Uther now, but that was what the dragon was trying to change. He wanted to be able to play the son against the father to get his own way.

"Leave him alone, you over-grown newt. I'm warning you, if I found out that you have called him down here again..."

"Gaius, are you fond of my king?"

"No. I'm fond of _my_ prince. Let his destiny come to him in time, when he is older and can understand it. You know he thought you were talking about money tonight rather than your cryptic messages? He has no idea, he is just a boy. Let him grow before you start changing him."

"You mean let my jailer influence him?"

"Uther is not the only one present in Arthur's life. But if you try and control him now, how can he make his own decisions in the future? I'm asking you, Dragon, if you believe in what he will do, leave him be. Please. At least until he is old enough to remember to put shoes on before running around the castle."

Gaius certainly wasn't expecting the dragon to chuckle at that.

"I had noticed. He has a fiery spirit. Only a Pendragon would tell me to _shh_because it was past their bed time."

"You're telling me. Arthur won't let anything go once he has it in his head." Gaius moaned; a fond smile on his face as he relaxed against the wall again. "You heard him down here, he definitely won't let this go."

"And why should he let it go?"

"Because he is not ready!" Gaius pressed, a fierce wave of protection over Arthur making him feel more alive than he had done for years. "He doesn't even know what destiny is, let alone what his is. I'm begging you, leave him be."

The old physician knew that only a DragonLord could truly make Kilgarrah listen to them, but there was something so desperate, so pleading in his tone that the dragon lowered his head thoughtfully.

"I will not call him again. But if he wanders this way, I will not send him away either, old man." Gaius blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Thank you. I believe you, you know. About the future he has ahead of him. I'm not trying to stop that. I'm trying to protect him."

"I know. Now hurry, physician, I believe your prince is beginning to sicken with something."

"Your fault, you lizard." Gaius scowled, beginning to hurry from the cave once again. He could hear the dragon laughing behind him, and found that he wasn't sure what had just happened. He had no way of knowing whether Kilgarrah would keep to his word this time and leave Arthur alone. The boy was too young to be caught up in this, not yet ready to start fighting his father's battles. Gaius knew it was foolish, but he was trying to keep the future king a child as long as he could. As soon as Arthur started growing up, he knew there would be no turning back.

Regardless of the thoughts whirling around his head, Gaius managed to make it back to Arthur's chambers in record speed, Kilgarrah's last words ringing in his ears. Sure enough, a small cough caught his attention the moment he opened the door.

Crossing the room, Gaius shook his head fondly as he glanced down at the sleeping prince. There was a frown on Arthur's face as he coughed slightly again and reaching down, the physician let the back of his hand rest against Arthur's forehead. He had never known a child to come down with something so quickly as Arthur did, but sure enough, running around the castle without shoes on had come with a price. The prince was already beginning to feel slightly feverish, and Gaius could only watch as Arthur buried himself in the bedclothes, his thumb slipping into his mouth as he tried to get warm.

Gaius quickly pulled up another blanket and draped it over the bed. Despite it being late, guards were roaming the corridors and it only took a word for one of them to fetch his medicine bag for him. Not that Arthur needed anything yet, but Gaius wanted to be prepared. Another small cough took him back to the bed and he sat down on the edge, his hand resting on the lump that was the buried prince.

"You've got your father's curiosity, I'll give you that." The man murmured softly, automatically making a soothing noise as Arthur's next cough had him kicking the blankets back again. Tucking them up around him once more, Gaius knew he was going to be in for a long night. As Arthur fell still, the physician softly put the wooden sword back under the bed where he knew Arthur left it. The only good thing about the prince being ill was that the physician would be able to persuade him that this had been nothing but a dream. Arthur may have been Kilgarrah's King and Uther's heir, but as he soothed the little boy once more, Gaius knew that he was looking after _his _prince. And no one was going to take that away from him.

MMM

"But it was true!" Arthur whined, causing Gaius to sigh. A coughing fit had woken him early and Arthur hadn't been able to get back to sleep again. His face was flushed and his eyes overly-bright, clear signs of a fever. But right now, tears were trickling miserably down his face even as he let Gaius spoon a soothing tonic into his mouth.

"You just had a vivid dream, that's all, Sire." Gaius soothed gently, brushing Arthur's hair back from his forehead as he checked the child's temperature at the same time. He didn't want to be lying to Arthur, but knew that if he could make the boy drop it for a few hours, he would forget all about it.

"It wasn't!" Arthur protested, turning his head away at the next spoonful. He pushed the covers back with both hands and climbed down off the bed on the far side, knowing that Gaius couldn't reach him there. "I left my sword down there, I'll show you."

"Arthur, come on, back into bed. Your sword is where it always is, I promise."

"S'not, I left it down there!" Arthur made to move towards the door, causing Gaius to swiftly stand up. There was no way he was about to let the prince go running around the castle again, not like this. Bending down, he picked up the sword and cleared his throat meaningfully. Arthur turned, and Gaius felt a flash of guilt as his little face fell.

"But..."

"You're not well, Sire. Come on, back into the warmth with you."

"No! No, it's not true! It was there, I know it was!" Gaius should have known that Arthur was not going to let it go that easily and the little boy wrenched open his door, only to crash straight into his father's legs.

"Why isn't he in bed?" Uther's cold voice made Arthur stumble back into the room, more tears spilling over and running down his cheeks.

"A vivid dream, My Lord. Arthur, come here." The prince did indeed move back towards Gaius, eyes wide at the fact his father was in his room. Gaius knew he could count on one hand the amount of times that had happened. Uther moved into the room, walking past Arthur and sitting on the edge of his son's bed.

"Here." He practically barked, and Arthur almost raced across the room to stand in front of the man. Gaius sighed: a chess piece to be manoeuvred indeed. But as soon as Arthur reached his father, another coughing fit came over him. Gaius reached into his bag to get something to help, wincing at the way Arthur was struggling to catch his breath.

"Don't panic, Arthur..." He said gently, not wanting a repeat performance of that morning. He couldn't find the bottle that he was looking for, and cursed when Arthur's hacking got worse. By the time he turned around, his own breath caught.

Uther had reached out and pulled Arthur onto his lap, rubbing his hand up and down his son's back soothingly as Arthur coughed. Eventually, the young prince managed to finally catch his breath, swallowing the last cough and hiccupping slightly. Without realising what he was doing, he had sagged against his father, leaning completely on Uther, tears trickling down his face and his thumb slipping back into his mouth as he gave into his exhaustion. Very slowly, Gaius turned back to his bag. He wanted to see what would happen if it looked like he hadn't seen anything. Movement behind him meant he knew he couldn't pretend any longer, and with a flourish, turned. Only to smile.

Uther had lifted Arthur up, tucking him back into the bed and letting his hand stroke his son's hair back soothingly. Arthur's eyes were shut, his breathing beginning to ease out. Every time his eyes screwed up with the hint that another cough was coming, Uther's hand rested lightly on his chest and Arthur relaxed again.

"I just need to fetch something from my chambers." Gaius muttered, excusing himself and hastily leaving the room. He had never seen Uther that tender with his son, and found that his mind was going wild. Had the King somehow caught onto the fact that Arthur had had an adventure the night before, that someone else wanted to use him as much as Uther did? There were two powerful beings wanting to shape the type of King Arthur was going to be, and Gaius had no idea which was right. He knew that he potentially had the power to nudge Arthur in one direction or the other, all it would take would be whether he let Arthur see the dragon again.

By the time he returned to the prince's rooms, Arthur was fast asleep. But Uther hadn't moved, still sitting on the edge of the bed and just watching his son. Gaius had made a decision a few years before whose side he was going to take in the battle against magic and the dragons. And right now, he was making that same choice again.

He had no idea whether it was the right choice to make, or whether he would regret it in the future. It was an intricate game and Gaius knew the rules were constantly changing. But Kilgarrah had confused the young prince and ultimately made him ill. Uther was soothing him, making him well again.

A prince could be pulled in any direction, but there was one thing that Gaius was more than sure about.

A boy needed his father, regardless of who he was destined to be.

And it was that decision that made him determined that Kilgarrah was not going to get his way with Arthur, not if Gaius had anything to say about it.

**Review?**


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